


With The Star's Guidance (Jayfeather)

by Damon_Baird



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-16 23:42:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29583921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Damon_Baird/pseuds/Damon_Baird
Summary: Jayfeather believes that no one else in ThunderClan can understand his day to day life of not being able to see, but his thoughts are silenced when a half-WindClan apprentice, Whisperpaw, is revealed to be partially blind.
Relationships: Jayfeather (Warriors)/Original Character(s)
Kudos: 1





	1. Whisperpaw Character Details

Name(s): Whisperkit (previously)

Whisperpaw (current)

Affiliations: ThunderClan (current)

WindClan (previously)

Age: Approximately 7 moons younger than Jayfeather

Kin: Stormbreeze (Mother)

Lightstep (Father)

Minnowpaw (Brother)

Greenpaw (Brother)

Rainpaw (Sister)

Mosspaw (Half-sister)

Greenpaw (Half-brother)

Mentors: Petalstorm (WindClan)

Graystripe (ThunderClan)

Jayfeather (ThunderClan)

Medicine Cat Position: Leafpool (Brief Mentor)

Jayfeather (Mentor)


	2. Chapter One

The chilly air made Whisperpaw shiver as she crawled out of the apprentice den. It was growing closer to the snowy season, and she was still unsure of how her Clan perceived her. Only three days had passed since she had joined ThunderClan after leaving WindClan, deciding to leave after discovering that her father, who was now apart of StarClan, was a ThunderClan warrior. Leaving her siblings behind had wounded her heart greatly, but Whisperpaw had long since felt unwelcomed by WindClan.

"There you are, Whisperpaw!" Graystripe, an elderly gray cat smiled at her as she approached the fresh-kill pile. "What do you say to accompanying Jayfeather on a herb retrieval mission?"

"If it means I can leave the camp and learn the territory, I'm more than happy to." Whisperpaw replied.

"Great! Can you go and get the grump? He should be in the medicine cat den. Maybe taking him a mouse will keep him from being too aggressive with you."

Whisperpaw carefully picked through the fresh-kill pile, choosing to take a plump mouse. Graystripe gave her an encouraging purr before she padded to the Medicine Cat den. She passed under the withering vines that covered the entrance to the Medicine Cat den, finding three cats laying in separate nests. The closest cat to the entrance, a smaller gray tabby, twitched their ear before lifting their head, and Whisperpaw was taken by surprise at the sight of their eyes.

"Who's there?" The cat questioned.

Whisperpaw placed the the mouse down before sitting, curling her tail around her paws. "Whisperpaw. I'm here for Jayfeather."

The gray tabby sighed before getting to his feet, stretching and yawning. "That's me. I'm guessing you're Graystripe's Apprentice?"

"Yes. I have a mouse for you." Whisperpaw replied, picking the mouse up once more and approaching the gray tabby tom with caution.

She laid it down beside his nest, and she watched as he used his sense of smell to find it. She had heard word of the blind Medicine Cat while she was still in WindClan. At the sound of his nest rustling, the other two cats lifted their heads.

"Heading out today, Jayfeather?" The smaller of the two asked.

"For a short time. I'll be back in time to help you with your exercises." Jayfeather answered.

The young she-cat glanced at Whisperpaw, and it looked as though she would've jumped to her paws. "Oh! You're the WindClan refugee, aren't you?"

"I am from WindClan, yes. My father was from this Clan." Whisperpaw mewed.

The last cat in the den got to their paws as Jayfeather finished eating the mouse, and Whisperpaw watched as they took the remainder of the meal, heading back to their nest.

"Be careful while you're out there, Jayfeather." The she-cat muttered.

Jayfeather didn't reply, simply looking in Whisperpaw's general direction. "Lead the way."

"Do you need help?" Whisperpaw asked.

"No."

She hesitantly turned and began walking out of the den. She could hear Jayfeather's steps behind her.

"That didn't take much convincing." Graystripe chuckled. "Most cats have to argue with him for most of sun high to get him to come out."

Whisperpaw felt Jayfeather brush against her side, and she looked at him as he quietly apologized, his clouded eyes trained on the ground. Jayfeather was only a claw's length taller than Whisperpaw, and his fur felt soft compared to hers.

"You'll have to guide Jayfeather when we're outside of the camp. He hasn't been outside in a while." Graystripe told Whisperpaw.

"I'm not some small kit, Graystripe. I can handle myself." Jaystripe hissed.

"I'm also trying to keep you both together." Graystripe muttered. "Whisperpaw doesn't have that great of sight either, Jayfeather."

Whisperpaw felt Jayfeather stiffen up beside her, and her ears laid back against her head. "Thanks for blurting that out, Graystripe."

"You can see, so you're not blind." Jayfeather whispered. "Is your sight just not as far as others?"

"I was born blind in one eye." Whisperpaw explained. "WindClan treated me like a burden, and I was made even more of an outcast because of my ThunderClan father."

Graystripe hesitantly began to walk toward the camp entrance, and Whisperpaw brushed against Jayfeather's side as she followed him, draping her tail over his shoulders. The gray tabby tom followed almost naturally, and all three cats pushed their way through the mossy tunnel that was constructed over time to prevent easy access to the camp. Jayfeather lowered his head and tucked his shoulders in as they passed through the tight tunnel, and he felt Whisperpaw's tail return to his shoulders only seconds after he emerged from the other side.

"We'll walk the borders so you can learn where they are. Jayfeather, are there any herbs close to the border that we can grab?" Graystripe glanced at the blind Medicine Cat.

"I don't remember. I'll have to smell them out." He replied.

Whisperpaw looked around as they padded through the forest. She'd wait patiently as Jayfeather haphazardly made his way over obstacles, feeling with his paws where the ground was. She watched as Graystripe crouched down enough for his belly to touch the forest floor, and she was startled as he sprang forward. Her natural instincts at the sight of the hunter in action was to drop to the forest floor, her body shaking.

"Whisperpaw?" Jayfeather muttered.

Graystripe emerged from the bush he had pounced into with a mouse between his jaws, and he dropped it at the sight of the shivering Apprentice.

"Whisperpaw? Are you alright?" He asked.

Whisperpaw was brought out of her shivering as Jayfeather crouched down beside her, his side against hers. "I-I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Jayfeather's voice was soft as he comforted the small she-cat.

"I'll be okay." Whisperpaw slowly stood up correctly, her tail flicking as she shook her body. "Sorry about that."

~

"Do you want to talk about what happened out there?"

"No. I'd rather not bring attention to it. I'm already seen as weak and frail because of my blind eye. If any cat learns about my fear of fighting, I'll be laughed at."

Jayfeather hummed as he pawed at the herbs sitting beneath him. Whisperpaw sat in front of him, her ears back and her tail curled over her paws. Jayfeather wished he knew what she looked like, frustrated that he had heard so much about the half WindClan cat from his clanmates. His ears stood up straight when he heard her yawn.

"If you're tired, you can sleep in one of the nests." He said.

"I told Graystripe I'd help you organize the herbs since you can't see." Whisperpaw replied. "I can't sleep if I'm supposed to be helping you."

Jayfeather let out a quiet laugh, flicking his tail slightly. "Then let's get to organizing the herbs."

Whisperpaw jumped to her paws, stretching and springing forward to stand in front of Jayfeather. She very easily picked up the herbs at his feet, being careful not to accidently crush them with her teeth, and she sniffed the different rows of herbs until she found the one that smelt like what she was holding. After placing them down with the rest, Jayfeather sniffed the area and nodded in approval.

"Did you just put it with the herbs it looked like?" He asked.

"No. I did it by smell." Whisperpaw purred in triumph.

Jayfeather smiled. "Good job."

Whisperpaw very quickly put the rest of the herbs away, earning more praise from Jayfeather after. Her purring grew louder, and she caught Jayfeather by surprise when she brushed her body against his. He tried to memorize how her fur felt against him, not as soft as his but not rough like dry ground.

"Whisperpaw!" Graystripe's call came from the entrance to the Medicine Cat den. "Let's go hunting! The fresh-kill pile is getting low!"

Jayfeather felt Whisperpaw pause beside him. He turned his head slightly in her direction.

"Sorry, Graystripe! I'll be needing Whisperpaw's assistance again. I forgot to grab some Feverfew while we were outside of the camp." He replied.

"Oh. Do you want me to join you?"

"No. We'll be alright. It's not that far from the camp."

"I thought Feverfew was close to the border?"

"No cat would be going close to the border at this time of day, Graystripe. We'll be fine."

Whisperpaw's whiskers twitched, and she heard Graystripe sigh before walking away from the den. Her attention turned to Jayfeather as he stretched and stood up.

"Are we really leaving the camp on our own?" She asked as he started walking toward the entrance of the den.

"I'd look like a liar if I said we were and didn't, right?" He paused, turning his head toward her. "Do you not trust me to be on our own because I'm blind? I could ask some cat to join us."

"It's not that I don't trust you." Whisperpaw was quick to stand beside him. "I've never been outside of the camp without a cat who can see better than me, and I don't want to get us lost."

"We won't get lost. I might not be able to see, but I know the forest a lot better than I'm given credit for."

~

Jayfeather could sense Whisperpaw's unease as they sat close to the RiverClan border. He was being careful as he gathered the Feverfew while she stood guard. He knew there were cats in the area when Whisperpaw stood beside him.

"What are you two doing all the way out here on your own?" The voice was unfamiliar to Jayfeather.

"Herb gathering." Whisperpaw's voice was lower than normal.

"Are you sure you're not trying to sneak onto our territory and take prey?" This was a different voice, making Jayfeather worry they were outnumbered.

"If we wanted to do that, we would've done it already. He's getting the herbs we forgot the first time we were out here." Whisperpaw huffed.

The cats fell silent, and Jayfeather lifted his head.

"Oh, it's the blind Medicine Cat." One of the cats scoffed. "You came out here with a single Apprentice?"

"Why does it matter if he's blind?" Whisperpaw's fur stood on its ends.

"Whisperpaw." Jayfeather called her name to keep her from doing anything rash.

"It's not fair, Jayfeather. Every cat we've come across treats us differently because of our sight impairments!" Whisperpaw sounded upset.

"Life isn't fair, little kit." One of the RiverClan cats laughed.

Jayfeather was surprised to feel the vibrations of Whisperpaw's growls, and he called out her name when she suddenly left his side. He heard the sounds of her yowling, causing his ears to lay back against his head. The sound faded, and he realized the cats must have ran after her when he couldn't feel the presence of any other cat around him.

"Whisperpaw?!"

~

Jayfeather felt defeated as he tripped for the fourth time, trying to make it back to the camp but being careful as he ran through the forest. He heard the familiar voices of his Clanmates, and he found it easy to crawl through the entrance tunnel. He was almost immediately surrounded when he emerged on the other side.

"Jayfeather!" Graystripe was the first to speak. "Where's Whisperpaw?"

The gray tabby tom found it hard to speak. "She...ran into RiverClan territory."

"She did what?!" Leafpool yowled. "And you just let her go?"

"What was I supposed to do? I'm blind!" Jayfeather yelled in return. "I came back here as fast as I could!"

"You said you were going to get Feverfew, right?" Graystripe asked.

"Yes. I left it behind to try and get back here."

"Leafpool, you know where the herbs are. He went to get Feverfew by the RiverClan territory. Can you take us there?"

"Yes! We'll need as many cats as we can spare!"

Jayfeather lowered his head as several cats rushed past him. He couldn't help but feel guilty knowing that Whisperpaw had most likely ran into RiverClan territory to give him a chance to escape.

"It's alright, Jayfeather." His brother, Lionblaze, muttered. "She'll be found."

"The only question is if she'll be dead or alive." Jayfeather's anger was infused in his words, and he was quiet as he got to his paws and stalked across the camp to his den.

The gray tabby tom curled into a ball in his nest, angrily huffing to himself. His mind was put to ease as he thought of Whisperpaw, and he drifted into a deep slumber.

~

Whisperpaw's breathing was heavy as she fell to the forest floor from exhaustion. She had ran so much in the RiverClan territory that she has somehow managed to lose the cats who had been chasing her. She had followed the marked border until she reached a point that she smelt the familiar stench of WindClan. She collapsed after trudging forward into her previous clan's territory. It wasn't long before she heard the voices of cats she once knew.

"Is that a kit?"

"Is it from RiverClan?"

"It's Whisperpaw!"

She weakly lifted her head to see four cats stepping toward her. Among them was Petalstorm, Whisperpaw's former mentor. The pure white she-cat rushed to the apprentice's side.

"What are you doing out here? You're not even supposed to be in WindClan territory." Petalstorm murmured.

"I was running from RiverClan." Whisperpaw mewed. "They were at our borders, and I was with my Clan's Medicine Cat. He's blind, so I had to do something to get the cats away."

Petalstorm coaxed Whisperpaw to her feet, letting the smaller she-cat lean against her. "We'll take you back to camp and let you rest. You'll have to go back to your camp as soon as you're able to."

Whisperpaw mewed, and the group of cats headed toward the WindClan camp. The scent of the Clan was familiar yet foreign to Whisperpaw as the cats stepped into the camp.

"Whisperpaw!"

The voice belonged to Whisperpaw's mother, Stormbreeze. Whisperpaw wasn't surprised as the darker gray she-cat sprinted across the camp to reach her, her three siblings following after her.

"What are you doing here? Are you hurt? Did ThunderClan banish you from their territory?" Stormbreeze asked.

"ThunderClan hasn't banished me." Whisperpaw replied. "They've practically accepted me into the Clan."

"Then why are you here and not there?"

"Stormbreeze." Onestar's voice was authoritative.

The WindClan leader approached Petalstorm and Whisperpaw. The small gray she-cat lifted her head as she looked at her former leader.

"What brings you here?" Onestar asked.

"Long story short, I was running through RiverClan to distract some cats in order to give Jayfeather enough time to run away." Whisperpaw replied.

Onestar raised his eyebrow. "And you ended up here at the camp?"

"I collapsed in WindClan territory, and I asked Petalstorm if I could rest at the camp when her patrol came across me."

Whisperpaw knew lying to the leader was a bold move, but she didn't want Petalstorm to get in any kind of trouble for being the one to offer the idea of her going to the WindClan camp. Onestar studied Whisperpaw's unsteady stance.

"You may stay until sunhigh tomorrow. I want you out of the camp and out of WindClan territory after." He said.

"Thank you, Onestar." Whisperpaw bowed her head.

Kestralflight, WindClan's Medicine Cat, guided Whisperpaw to the medicine den. The overwhelming smell of herbs reminded Whisperpaw of Jayfeather, and she curled herself into a tight ball in one of the nests. She took a deep breath, and her body relaxed as she fell asleep.


	3. Chapter Two

Whisperpaw wasn't surprised when she was looking down at her own sleeping body. She had walked amongst other dreams before, often leaving her body to travel the forest. Night had set quickly after she reached the WindClan camp with the patrol, so several of the Clan cats were already asleep. She walked through the camp with ease, passing through cats in front of her. The forest was a majestic mystery at night, Whisperpaw welcoming the calm and quiet atmosphere. She found Fourtrees easily despite never going to a Gathering, and she followed the faint scent of ThunderClan out of it.

She heard the chattering of her Clanmates before she crawled through the entrance tunnel, and she felt as though she could cry as she stood in her dream walking form amongst the Clan. Her ears sat back against her head when she noticed the shimmering form sitting in the entrance of the Medicine Cat den.

"Jayfeather?" Her call was quiet as she hesitantly walked toward the figure.

The atmosphere and her surroundings shifted, forming into Fourtrees. The shimmering tom cat stood in front of her, their tail curled around their paws and their eyes closed. Whisperpaw hesitated before she stepped toward the tom cat.

"Jayfeather?" She repeated his name, hoping that it really was the gray tom standing in front of her.

The tom's eyes opened at the sound of her voice, and the blue of his eyes made Whisperpaw purr. He became a solid figure, his gray fur and unique markings making Whisperpaw smile. His eyes settled on her, and he seemed puzzled by her presence.

"Whisperpaw?" His voice was breathless, taken by surprise by the small she-cat.

"You're alive." Whisperpaw mewed happily, stepping forward and rubbing her muzzle against his.

"I should be saying that." Jayfeather watched as she stepped back, her shimmering form focused entirely on him. "How did you get away from RiverClan?"

"I kept running. I think they gave up after a while, but I didn't stop until I was in WindClan territory."

"You're in WindClan's territory?"

"In the camp, yes. My previous mentor, Petalstorm, found me close to the border, so she took me to the camp. Onestar says I can stay for the night so I can rest."

He ran his eyes over her. While in his dreams, he had his sight, but he still needed to know what the cats looked like to be able to see them.

"Whisperpaw?" He muttered.

"Yes?" She tilted her head.

"What do you look like?"

Whisperpaw giggled. "I'm light gray with a lighter underbelly, and I have white ears and paws. The tip of my tail is white, too. It's my right eye that's blind, and they're blue."

At her words, Jayfeather tried to put an image to her looks. As he focused, Whisperpaw slowly became a solid figure. Her laughter made him smile slightly, and he watched her dash around him. His gaze followed her as she effortlessly climbed the Great Rock, the small she-cat becoming a shadowed figure from the setting sun behind her.

"Whisperpaw?" Jayfeather called when he noticed the she-cat's glazed eyes.

He was taken by surprise when she leaped down from the Great Rock, landing with a soft thud and sprinting across the clearing. He followed her as she raced through the forest, heading to ThunderClan camp. He scrambled through the entrance tunnel as she jumped over the thorny walls.

"Whisperpaw?" He called once more as the she-cat slid into the apprentice den.

He stepped in behind her, curious about what she was doing. Whisperpaw stood over one of the apprentices, Jayfeather unsure of who it was. The silence made it easy to hear the apprentice's almost silent cough.

"Did you hear that from Fourtrees?" He asked.

"No." Whisperpaw circled the apprentice.

"Then how did you know they were coughing?"

"StarClan told me."

"StarClan talks to you?" Jayfeather was astonished. "Why haven't you mentioned that to any of us?"

"My mother used to speak highly of my father for being one of ThunderClan's strongest warriors. I didn't want to disappoint her by being nothing more than a Medicine Cat." Whisperpaw's gaze on the apprentice was clouded. "I've grown during my time as an apprentice. I don't look at the Medicine Cats as being of lower value to the Clans. I believe they honestly have a higher value than a warrior does."

Jayfeather felt pride swelling in his chest as the she-cat looked to him, her tail curling as she stood over the apprentice almost protectively. He tried to imagine her as a battle-worn cat, but the thought of her being in any kind of danger worried him for reasons he didn't understand.

"StarClan has been talking to me for so many moons. They've warned me of a majority of illnesses that overtook WindClan. If what they say is right, Jayfeather, the illness my brother has will be deadly." Whisperpaw mewed.

"Your _brother_?" Jayfeather repeated, making sure he heard her correctly.

"Yes. Mosspaw is a full ThunderClan apprentice. He's three moons younger than I am."

Jayfeather looked to the apprentice and understood almost immediately why Whisperpaw stood defensively over him. Mosspaw was a small and rather frail apprentice, his fur entirely black. Jayfeather guessed he must have been named after his eye color.

"You need to wake up and check on him." She demanded.

"It's the middle of the night, Whisperpaw. I can't just-"

"Wake up, Jayfeather!"

~

Jayfeather jolted awake, the world pitch black once more. He sighed as he got to his paws, stretching slightly before carefully making his way to the apprentice den. He was sure he woke a few of the younger cats up as he slipped inside.

"Jayfeather?" He recognized the voice, it belonging to an apprentice named Minnowpaw.

"Lead me to Mosspaw." Jayfeather stated.

"Why do you need to see my brother? Is something wrong with him?"

There was a slight panging feeling in his chest when he realized Minnowpaw was another sibling of Whisperpaw's. "I was told he was coughing. I want to make sure it isn't an illness that could devastate the Clan."

He felt a soft tail drape over his shoulders, and he was soon weaving through the mess of nests in the apprentice den. He leaned over Minnowpaw and listened to his ragged breathing, the soft coughs audible.

"I'll need to move Briarlight to the nursery so Mosspaw can be in the Medicine Cat den and away from all the cats." He sighed.

"Do you think it will kill him?" Minnowpaw asked.

"As of now, I'm not sure what the illness is. It's better to move him away in case it spreads. Knowing how driven apprentices are, it may already have since I doubt he'd think about whether it's an illness that's contagious." 

~

Whisperpaw stretched as she waited by the WindClan camp entrance. She was going to be escorted by Crowfeather, a black tom cat who she had discovered was Jayfeather's father. After speaking with Onestar, the black tom cat stalked across the Clan camp and simply nodded his head at Whisperpaw. The two cats were quiet as they left the camp, and the sounds of the forest made Whisperpaw feel calm beside the older warrior.

"I've met your son, you know?" Whisperpaw mewed.

"Which one?" Crowfeather replied.

"Jayfeather."

Crowfeather slowed his pace until he stopped walking, and Whisperpaw turned to look at him. She had reminded Crowfeather of the few interactions he had with his blind son, both young cats having an undying determination despite their varying degrees of blindness.

"Have you?" He muttered.

"He's one of ThunderClan's Medicine Cats. It wouldn't have been that long before I met him." Whisperpaw's tail flicked as she spoke. "A few of the other cats told me he's often a grump. I haven't really seen that side of him since the day I met him."

"It sounds like you've made a friend." Crowfeather chuckled under his breath before he began walking once more, the gray she-cat at his side.

"I'd give my life to keep Jayfeather safe. I nearly did so he could get away from a RiverClan patrol."

"Saving Jayfeather is the reason you were at the camp?"

"Yes. We were out of camp getting Feverfew. We honestly should have gotten another cat to go with us, but I trusted Jayfeather's word that we'd be fine. When we were at the RiverClan border, there were four cats standing on the other side. They kept bad mouthing Jayfeather and moving closer, so I ran around them and kept going so Jayfeather could get back to camp."

"You have a brave heart, Whisperpaw."

It wasn't long before they reached Fourtrees, and Crowfeather sat down beside the ThunderClan border. Whisperpaw took a deep breath as she stood at the border, preparing herself for whatever she faced when she would return to camp.

"Thank you for escorting me, Crowfeather." She said.

"May StarClan watch over you." Crowfeather bowed his head before walking away.

Whisperpaw waited until she couldn't see the black tom before she stepped into ThunderClan territory, picking up her pace as she got closer to the camp. She mewed as she crawled through the entrance tunnel, and all eyes were on her when she emerged.

"Whisperpaw?" Graystripe was the first to call her name, lifting his head from where he stood crouched over the fresh-kill pile.

Whisperpaw gave a small smile. "I'm sorry if I worried any of you."

"It is you!" Graystripe cheered, the rest of the Clan cats present in the camp clearing mewing as he rushed across the camp.

Whisperpaw purred as her mentor brushed his muzzle against hers, touching her nose to his after. The other Clan cats surrounded her, their multiple questions becoming a mass of humming. Firestar soon stepped through the crowd of cats, welcoming the she-cat back to camp with a simple nose to nose touch. He turned and led the she-cat to the Medicine Cat den without a word.

"Jayfeather?" Firestar called as they stood outside.

"If it's Whisperpaw, I'm already aware of her. Send her in." Jayfeather's voice sounded strained.

Whisperpaw bowed her head to Firestar before stepping into the Medicine Cat den. Jayfeather was busy picking several herbs from the Clan's stash, two of the nests occupied by Mosspaw and another cat.

"I can help." Whisperpaw offered.

"It's a belly sickness that Mosspaw spread to a few of the other cats. He and this apprentice are the worst." Jayfeather explained. "I'm just crushing up some herbs to give them before I check on the other cats."

"Should I go check the others for you?"

"You can. A handful of the apprentices have complained of their bellies hurting, and so has a warrior. Please be mindful of your distance."

"I'll come back as soon as I've checked on all of them."

Whisperpaw stepped out of the Medicine Cat den, hurrying across the camp clearing and sliding into the apprentice den. Only two apprentices complained of their bellies aching, others saying that their stomachs settled after eating. The gray she-cat was quick to go into the warrior den after, apologizing for entering without permission as she hurried to the cat who mewed in pain. The brown she-cat looked almost as sick as Mosspaw, worrying Whisperpaw as she left the den. She returned to Jayfeather and told him the severities of the cats.

"It's spreading faster than I anticipated." He muttered. "I've had to move Briarlight to the nursery, and Leafpool has been staying in the warrior den."

"I don't think the nursery is safe." Whisperpaw mewed.

"Why do you think that?"

"I overheard one of the kits when I came out of the apprentice den. They were telling their mother their belly hurt."

Jayfeather let out a frustrated sigh. "I think I'm going to need a lot of help."

~

Soon, half of the Clan caught the belly illness. Whisperpaw did her best to keep up with the demands Jayfeather had, giving cats herbs and keeping the healthy cats away from them as much as possible. As many of the cats began to return to normal health, Briarlight's condition worsened. Whisperpaw knew the moment the she-cat passed, the air filled with the cries of Briarlight's mother, Millie.

She sat in the entrance to the Medicine Cat den, her ears back against her head and her tail curled over her paws as she trained her eye on the ground. Graystripe, with the help of Firestar, moved Briarlight's body to the middle of camp. He and Millie cried over their daughter. Whisperpaw had to swallow hard as she fought tears listening to Millie plea for her daughter to return. Her body trembled when she saw Jayfeather's paws standing in front of her.

"I'm going to sit vigil for Briarlight." He told her. "You can sleep in my nest if you'd like."

"I want to stand vigil, too." Whisperpaw dug her claws into the dirt, her voice cracking as she spoke.

"I think it's best that you rest." Jayfeather rubbed his muzzle against hers, gently licking at her tears after. "You can visit Briarlight in your dreams."

Whisperpaw's crying became soft sobs, and Jayfeather was hesitant as he took a step forward. He could feel her shaking as he brushed his muzzle against hers, following the movement through so his head rested on top of hers. His ears laid back against his head as her crying worsened, his tail curling around hers.

"We did everything we could to help her." Jayfeather murmured, trying to comfort the small she-cat.

Whisperpaw struggled to compose herself, and Jayfeather smiled when she licked his cheek.

"I'll go lay down. Tell Graystripe and Millie I'm sorry." She said.

"I will."

She stepped away from him, and Jayfeather hesitated before he turned and carefully walked to the middle of camp. Lionblaze's soft call to him guided him to his brother's side, and he joined the many cats who sat in silence. Once Whisperpaw laid in his nest and drifted to sleep, she became the shimmering form she had gotten used to.

Standing over the body in the middle of the camp was a glistening form of Briarlight. Her eyes were a ghostly white, and Whisperpaw felt as though she was staring at a cat she didn't know. She raced forward until she was directly in front of Briarlight, standing between the glistening form and Jayfeather, who stared blankly at Briarlight's body.

"Hello, Whisperpaw." Briarlight smiled as she looked at the smaller she-cat.

"You're standing up." Whisperpaw mewed.

"StarClan seems to have healed me." Briarlight admitted.

Whisperpaw cheered for the healed cat, and both spent the night playing kit games and laughing. As the sun started to rise, both she-cats sat beside Jayfeather. Whisperpaw looked to Briarlight as the older cat giggled.

"I'm glad you decided to join ThunderClan after learning who your father was." She said.

"Why's that?" Whisperpaw tilted her head.

"I know Jayfeather will have someone looking after him."

Whisperpaw held in a laugh. "I'm sure Jayfeather would rather keep me safe than the other way around."

"He's really fond of you. I've only ever heard him speak highly of you."

"The only times we've ever interacted we spoke about herbs or I kept RiverClan cats from attacking him. There isn't much to praise."

"Jayfeather doesn't have very many cats he considers friends." Briarlight smiled as she looked to the blind Medicine Cat. "I'm happy that I got to spend so much time with him. He's a lot kinder than other cats say."


End file.
